Venice or Trieste, Italy, that is the Question? Either way works fine!

[Sthrngary]

I was on the Riviera last month and while cruising we booked a future Cruise.  It was October 13, 2025, Monte Carlo to Venice.  We liked the itinerary better then other ports and so we booked it.  We are easy, if things change, we are flexible however we are looking forward to getting to Florence (if the cruising gods wish it to be) because it was a port that we missed last month.  Yet, it is a cruise and somethings you have control over and somethings you don't.

 

Today I look online and Venice, Italy is gone and Trieste, Italy is in it's place.  It shows online as Monte Carlo to N/A now.  I also noticed that the ship, Vista last port of  Trieste, Italy, which was dis-embarkment did not show another cruise for the Vista for the next 6 days.  Interesting to say the least.

 

No big deal at this stage just an interesting turn of events.  I guess this is what happens when you book two (2) years in advance.  From a planning standpoint, the closest major Airport (Going to use Delta Airlines) would be Venice which is a couple of hours away per train or bus.  Makes the trip even more interesting.  

 

Not a third world issue but I will love to see the transitions over time.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[MEFIowa]

On 10/27/23 wife and I flew into Marco Polo International, that services Venice, and took the local bus to Venice, being dropped off near the first western most vaporetto (water bus) stop on the Grand Canal. The 2nd is the Train Station. The 3rd was where our BnB was conveniently located.

 

We too the Italian train from Venice to Trieste on 10/30/23 where we were to board Riviera. Cost us E15.50 each. Lovely quick train ride. Easy to do and access. Literally just lugged out bags out to the track where our train was, got on board, took a seat and put our luggage wherever. Then took a short cab ride from the train station to the dock where Riviera was.

 

We were originally supposed to be Venice to Athens but changed to Trieste to Athens.O gave us $125 OBC PP in compensation. We booked this early in 2022 when the itinerary opened.

[davencl]

Yes we just did a "Venice" to Rome cruise.   Venice no longer allows cruise ships to dock so they typically leave from Trieste.  I find it annoying itineraries still call this a Venice starting point cruise. We spent 2 days in Venice before then took the train to Trieste.  Lovely train ride.

[basor]

We had our embarkation changed from Venice to Trieste a few years ago and surprisingly loved Trieste!.  We hired a private driver to pick us up at Marco Polo airport and drive us to Trieste hotel.  We then spent 2 days exploring Trieste, Slovakia, Northern Croatia and Italian coast.  We would go back to Trieste gladly.

[mauibabes]

@SthrngaryJust a guess based on no inside info but Vista is under warranty and she will need to get back to Italy to have her “Punch List” repairs/issues resolved. After a couple cruises on her I am aware there are still some electrical, plumbing and HVAC as well as noise abatement issues that will require time in a shipyard. 
I have no idea if this is the “shipyard” window but it’s as good a guess as any. 
Mauibabes

[mountain grandma]

@mauibabes Hi Gerry,   Forgive my intrusion on this thread but I need to ask you a question and the CC message ability isn’t working.  Would you please email me at bhar62164 at gmail dot com?

 

Thanks,

Billie

[Torquer]

Trieste itself is well worth spending a day to explore.  Of course, it is not Venice.  If you have never been to Venice you really want to spend a couple nights on the island and experience the real Venice when the tourist mobs leave in the late afternoon.  It is an entirely different experience.  Fortunately, you can do this pre- or post-cruse from Trieste also since you will almost certainly be flying from the Marco Polo airport in Venice.

[Sthrngary]

10 minutes ago, Torquer said:

Trieste itself is well worth spending a day to explore.  Of course, it is not Venice.  If you have never been to Venice you really want to spend a couple nights on the island and experience the real Venice when the tourist mobs leave in the late afternoon.  It is an entirely different experience.  Fortunately, you can do this pre- or post-cruse from Trieste also since you will almost certainly be flying from the Marco Polo airport in Venice.

@Torquer Thank you.  My thoughts exactly.  I was looking at the Train and bus schedule.  It is so far in advance, it is nice to know how close everything is in Europe.  Thank you again for your response. 

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[CruiseLibra]

For those who have been to Venice and don't have the desire to return, Treiste is lovely. Lake Bled and Ljubljana Slovika are close by and make a great day trip from Trieste. Also note that if your international flight from the US connects in Europe, connect to Trieste instead of Venice. The Trieste airport is 30 minutes outside the city and you can avoid the Venice transfer altogether. 

Edited December 6, 2023 by CruiseLibra

[debbyma]

Trieste is a lovely town with many shops and restaurants.   We enjoyed our time there before our Vista cruise.  It is a bit difficult to get to, but once you're there you will enjoy this little gem.

[pinotlover]

This isn’t difficult and has been posted previously.

 

if a cruise ship is embarking or disembarking passengers in Venice, then the port of Venice can be used IF available.

 

If a cruise ship is only visiting the area, and not e/d passengers, other local ports must be used.

 

This policy is intended to (1) reduce the number of sea gulls in town; and (2) possibly spread the wealth of the visitors.

 

If one is E/D in Venice, it increases the odds of hotels stays and restaurant meals consumed. OTH, The city is already full of seagulls, in their opinion, and they don’t need more from cruise ships.

 

Look at your itinerary. What is the purpose of the port stop? Is it possible you might get in during off season. Yes. Possibly. Will you do it May-mid October, almost absolutely NO.

Edited December 7, 2023 by pinotlover

[Sthrngary]

8 hours ago, pinotlover said:

This isn’t difficult and has been posted previously.

 

if a cruise ship is embarking or disembarking passengers in Venice, then the port of Venice can be used IF available.

 

If a cruise ship is only visiting the area, and not e/d passengers, other local ports must be used.

 

This policy is intended to (1) reduce the number of sea gulls in town; and (2) possibly spread the wealth of the visitors.

 

If one is E/D in Venice, it increases the odds of hotels stays and restaurant meals consumed. OTH, The city is already full of seagulls, in their opinion, and they don’t need more from cruise ships.

 

Look at your itinerary. What is the purpose of the port stop? Is it possible you might get in during off season. Yes. Possibly. Will you do it May-mid October, almost absolutely NO.

@pinotlover The Venice port is actually the last port which is dis-embarkment port.  

[cruisemom42]

No cruise ships (other than a very few that are even smaller than the R class, i.e., less than 25,000 tons) dock IN Venice proper which would be the Marittima or San Basilio ports. 
 

The small industrial ports in the lagoon and CLOSE to Venice are taking some of the smaller ships (Viking, Azamara, Oceania, etc) plus some larger ships of MSC. This includes the ports of Fusina, Marghera and Chioggia.

 

All remaining cruise ships use either Trieste or Ravenna, both of which are over two hours from Venice proper but reachable by train (or express bus in the case of Trieste). Sometimes smaller ships use these ports also when there is no available space at the closer ports.

[pinotlover]

58 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

@pinotlover The Venice port is actually the last port which is dis-embarkment port.  

I apologize, it’s Barcelona that is now only allowing ships to dock that are e/d. Venice is regulating by ship size.

[MEFIowa]

11 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

I apologize, it’s Barcelona that is now only allowing ships to dock that are e/d. Venice is regulating by ship size.

And Barcelona has closed the World Trade Center terminal/dock, so you are docked a bit to the west of it now. We disembarked in Barcelona on 11/19; embarked in Trieste 10/30. [In Barcelona we took the port shuttle bus (E6.00 PP) to the port exit by Las Ramblas, a main N-S street. Then walked to the Metro Station and took that to our BnB in The Extension.]

[Sthrngary]

37 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

No cruise ships (other than a very few that are even smaller than the R class, i.e., less than 25,000 tons) dock IN Venice proper which would be the Marittima or San Basilio ports. 
 

The small industrial ports in the lagoon and CLOSE to Venice are taking some of the smaller ships (Viking, Azamara, Oceania, etc) plus some larger ships of MSC. This includes the ports of Fusina, Marghera and Chioggia.

 

All remaining cruise ships use either Trieste or Ravenna, both of which are over two hours from Venice proper but reachable by train (or express bus in the case of Trieste). Sometimes smaller ships use these ports also when there is no available space at the closer ports.

@cruisemom42 Thank you.  Since Trieste is at the end of our cruise, it just provides some interesting options for visiting a new place.  Maybe, we add more then a day at cruise end.  Spend time in Trieste and take the train to Venice for a day before flying out.  I totally get the reasoning and after my first trip last month to the Mediterranean, absolutely no fear of Trains and Buses in Europe.  Thanks again.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Torquer]

13 hours ago, pinotlover said:

This isn’t difficult and has been posted previously.

 

if a cruise ship is embarking or disembarking passengers in Venice, then the port of Venice can be used IF available.

 

If a cruise ship is only visiting the area, and not e/d passengers, other local ports must be used.

That is simply not true, and if you saw it posted before, it was also wrong there.  A very few cruise lines, in particular all or most MSC cruises, have made arrangements to use ports within the Venice lagoon, namely Marghera or Fusina.  Most other cruise lines do not stop within the Venice lagoon, and use other ports, in particular Trieste and Ravena is common, even if the cruise is embarking or disembarking from "Venice".  Some very small ships, smaller than R-class, can also use ports within the lagoon.  This is true for all O cruises that I am aware of starting in 2022, and our other favorite cruise line Holland America.

 

 

[cayman09]

We're on Azamara Quest next year and the port is Marghera. Its an R ship.

[curmudgeon98]

Some notes on Venice as a cruise port (as I understand it in 2023).  

 

1) Only quite small ships, around 200 passenger or less, can dock directly at the island now.

 

2) Large ships can sometimes use the industrial port on the mainland (Marghera), but berth availability is pretty limited and mostly used by MSC.  There are no passenger handling facilities there, so passengers are all bused to/from the old cruise terminal on the island.  It can be 30+ minutes by bus around to Venice proper.

 

3) Mid-size ships (Viking, Seabourn, etc) can dock at the Fusina ferry terminal on the mainland, but again passenger handling is very limited, so most passengers are bused to/from the old island cruise terming.  I have heard of some lines arranging for boat shuttles directly from their dock to San Marcos on the island for continuing passengers (there's also a vaporetto line, but not reachable from the docks).  Can be 40+ minutes into Venice by bus.

 

4) Mid-size ships can also dock at Chioggia at the southwest corner of the lagoon.  Passenger handling is done onsite.  Town has hotels and restaurants, but not normally a destination.  Probably close to an hour by bus into Venice proper.

 

5) Ravenna is closer to two hours away, no direct train.  Has some historic interest of it's own.  

 

6) Monfalcone is mostly a shipbuilding port, but got used for cruise passengers sometimes when the squeeze out of Venice first happened.  

 

7) Trieste is somewhat a destination of it's own.  Train station is not too far from the docks with inexpensive, frequent local train service to Venice.  There is a small "Trieste" airport with limited flights, but it's not very close to anything.

[Yesimapirate]

Gary, 

 

As you know,  I'm on the same cruise   I've spent far too much time in Europe (including Italy) with my job and I'm extremely comfortable with the trains and transportation.   We have almost 2 years but in certainly happy to help you out in advance and as disembarkation.   We can even take the train or get a driver together if you want. 

 

I'm also a Bonvoy elite so odds are we'll be looking at similar hotels anyway. 

Edited December 8, 2023 by Yesimapirate

[Sthrngary]

17 minutes ago, Yesimapirate said:

Gary, 

 

As you know,  I'm on the same cruise   I've spent far too much time in Europe (including Italy) with my job and I'm extremely comfortable with the trains and transportation.   We have almost 2 years but in certainly happy to help you out in advance and as disembarkation.   We can even take the train or get a driver together if you want. 

 

I'm also a Bonvoy elite so odds are we'll be looking at similar hotels anyway. 

@Yesimapirate That sound great.  I was not all that concerned but thought it was interesting.  The more the merrier on the travel to Venice and hotel.  Let's plan on it.  Thank you for your note.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[Mkdvmz]

If Bonvoy elite, the Gritti Palace in Venice is fabulous